Pea-grader.



No. 793,262. PATENTBD JUNE 27, 1905. B. G. ALBAUGH.

PEA GRADER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Nitnesses Inv No. 793,262. PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905. E. G. ALBAUGH.

PEA GRADBR.

APPLICATION I'ILBD NOV. 25, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5; w m w w Witne s Inventor.

Rttomegs Patented June 27, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR G. ALBAUGH, OF FREDERICK, MARYLAND.

PEA-GRADER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,262, dated June 27, 1905.

Application filed November 25, 1904. Serial No. 234,229.

To all whom, it wuty concern.-

Be it known that I, EDGAR G. ALBAUGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frederick, in the county of Frederick and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Pea- Grader, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to separating-machines, and has for its object to effect the separation and grading of material, particularly peas, in a novel and simple manner, and in this connection to initially separate the largest particles or peas and to finally separate the smallest peas, thereby to effectually grade the peas and to prevent the smaller peas from being carried along in bulk with the larger peas, whereby the most effective separation is obtained. It is furthermore designed to arrange the separating elements or screens in compact relation in order that the machine may occupy a minimum space and at the same time afford the maximum separating capacity.

It frequently occurs that peas or particles of material being separated become lodged in the perforations or meshes of the screens, thereby choking the latter and interfering with the effective separation of the material, and in view of this objection it is a particular object of the present invention to provide for automatically removing such particles or peas as may become lodged in the meshes of the screens and to return the same to the screens from which they have dislodged in order that they may be properly graded.

WVith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the ac companying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a pea-grading machine constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view illustrating the manner of rotatably supporting each end of the respective sieves.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

The frame for the support of the present machine includes at each end a pair of standards, (designated 1 and 2,) having their upper portions 1 and 2 inclined upwardly and inwardly or converged, and each of these converged upper portions of the standards carries at its inner sides an upwardly-inclined series of grooved supporting wheels or rollers 3, 4:, and 5, which are carried upon the ends of horizontal parallel shafts 6, 7 and 8, that extend the entire length of the machine and have their terminals mounted in and projected through suitable bearings 9, 10, and 11 upon the respective standards of the machine. Upon the extremities of these shafts and at the outer sides of the standard are the gears 12, 13, and 14:, which are meshed and are driven from the lowermost gear. At one end of the machine, preferably the inlet thereof, one of the lowermost shafts 6 is projected beyond the others, as at 6, and carries loose and tight pulleys 15 and 16, respectively, to which power is applied by a belt in the usual manner, there being a sprocket-wheel 17, carried by the shaft 6, between the inner pulley and the adjacent gear 12. A corresponding sprocket 18 is carried by the adjacent end portion of the opposite shaft 6, and the sprockets are connected by a sprocket-chain 19, whereby power is simultaneously applied to the opposite series of gears in asimple and effective manner.

The separating elements of the present machine consist of a concentric series of cylindrical screens 20, 21, and 22, preferably formed of perforate sheet metal provided at their opposite ends with flanged rings or hands 23, 2st, and 25, which have their flanges supported in the grooves of the respective sets of rollers 5, 4, and 3, wherefore it will be understood that the cylindrical screens are supported externally at their terminals only, so as to maintain unobstructed annular interspaces between the screens. It will here be explained that power is transferred from the pulley 16 to the shafts 6, thence to the respec tive shafts 7 and 8 through the medium of the gears 12, 13, and 14, whereby motion is imparted to the grooved rollers or wheels 3, 4, and 5, which in turn operate to rotate the cylindrical sieves or screens successively in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It will of course be understood that the machine is inclined slightly to the vertical, and the material to be separated is fed into the open elevated or upper end of the innermost sieve or screen 20, which has the largest perforations or mesh, so as to permit of all but the largest particles or peas dropping therethrough into the next outermost sieve or screen 21, and so on throughout the series, which may consist of any number of sieves or screens, although only three have been shown.

In separators where the finest particles are initially separated some of the smaller particles will of course be carried along in a general mass with the larger particles, and therefore an incomplete separation takes place, whereas in the present machine the largest particles are initially separated and all of the other particles are permitted to drop through the perforations of the first screen or sieve, which of course results in the most effective separation of the material from the coarsest to the finest grades of material.

At the upper or inlet end of the machine the innermost screen 20 is extended externally of the device, as indicated at 20, and provided with very small perforations or slots and is designed to serve as a hopper for initially receiving the material to be treated and to effect a separation of the dirt from the ma terial'before the latter enters the main portion of the screen. For the support of the outer end of the hopper portion 20 of the innermost screen there is a standard 26, located between and-in advance of the standards 1 and 2, preferably nearer the standard 1, and having at its upper end an arcuate cross-head 27, which is concave upon its upper face, so as to embrace the lower side of the hopper member 20*, and provided at opposite ends with grooved bearing-rollers 28 and 29 to receive the flange 30 at the outer end of the hopper. This standard 26 has an intermediate trans verse arm 31, directed toward the standard 1 and provided upon its outer extremity with a vertically-adjustable bracket 32, upon which a. bearing 33 is pivotally supported, and receives the outer end of the shaft-section 6*, which is separate from the shaft 6 and is coupled thereto by a universal or gimbal joint 34. The purpose of the vertically-adjustable and pivotally-supported bracket 33 and the universal joint 34 is to accommodate the, shaftsection 6 to whatever inclination may be given the main portion of the machine, which 5 is of course inclined downwardly from its front end to its rear end, so as to insure the proper travel of the material through the device.

At the discharge ends of the respective screens are the collecting-hoppers 35, 36, and 37, which are shaped to embrace the lower edges of the screens and are supported independently thereof upon the frame comprising uprights 38, rising from the base or support 39, upon which the entire machine is supported. These hoppers are provided with the respective discharge-spouts 40, 41, and 42, the upper and lower spouts being directed toward opposite sides of the machine, the intermediate spout 41 being directed forwardly,

so as to carry off the graded material and pre vent intermingling thereof after leaving the machine.

The collecting-hoppers just described take care of the three grades of material which pass out through the discharge ends of the screens; but it will of course be understood that a fourth finest grade drops down through the perforations of the outer screen 22, and to collect this grade of material there is an apron 43, embracing the under side of the screen 22. andsupported at its upper end in a manner as will be hereinafter described, the

lower end of the apron being inclined down wardly and projected at the opposite side of the machine, where it is supported upon a, cross-bar 44, carried by the respective standards 1, whereby the material which passes through the perforations of the outer screen is collected and deposited at the left-hand side. of the machine entirely separate from the other grades.

It frequently occurs that some of the material becomes lodged in the perforations or meshes of the sieves or screens, thereby choking the latter and interfering with the effect-' ive separation of the material, and, as hereinbefore indicated, it is proposed to automatically effect the removal of such, obstructions, which feature, is carried out by means of anti-- friction-rollers 45, 46, and, 47, mounted to frictionally engage the exteriors of the respective screens. Each of these rollers is journaled at its opposite ends in the upper ends of arms 45, 46, and 47 the latter being, loosely mounted at their lower ends upon the, respective bars 45 1.46", and 47", which are inv turn supported at each end upon the head. of a substantially T-shaped bracket 48, rising from the top of the adjacent standard 2. Asbest, shown in Fig. 1, it will be noted that the shafts or bars 45 46?, and 4? are located outwardly from the peripheries of therespective sieves or screens in order thatthe presser or clearance rollers may be gravitated into. yieldable frictional contact with the screens, By this arrangement of clearance-rollers such material as may become lodged in the perforations or meshes of the sieves or screens will be forced back therethrough into the screens and the perforations or meshes thereof will be maintained in a free condition, so as to insure an effective separation of the material. It will here be noted that the upper end of the apron Hi3 is hung from the outer bar or shaft 457" by means of suitable hangers 49, located between the arms 47.

Among the advantages possessed. by the present invention it will be noted that the machine occupies practically only that space which is taken up by the exterior and largest sieve or screen, for the reason that the other sieves are located entirely within the outermost sieve instead of being arranged in longitudinal succession, as heretofore. By arranging the sieves in a concentric series with the sieves of equal length the lower or active surfaces of the sieves increase in area from the inner to the outer screen, whereby the outermost screen which has the smallest perforations or meshes also has the largest active area, so as to effectually and quickly separate the material fed thereto. In a machine embod ying three sieves there will be four grades of material, the coarsest grade being separated by the innermost sieve, the next liner by the adjacent screen, and so on throughout the series, the finest grade being that which passes through the outermost sieve and is caught by the apron 4:3.

Having thus described the construction and operation ofm y invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A separating machine comprising a frame, two upwardly-eonverged series of supporting-rollers at each end of the frame provided with meshed gears, means to impart motion to the gears, and a concentric series of cylindrical sieves supported externally upon the corresponding members of the series of rollers.

2. In aseparating-machine,the combination with a frame, of two upwardly-converged series of grooved supporting-rollers provided with meshed gears, means for impartingmotion to the gears, and a concentric series of cylindrical sieves having external annular flanges running in the grooves of and supported by the corresponding members of the series of rollers.

3. Inaseparating-machine,thecombination with a frame, of two upwardly-converged series of shafts, gears connecting the members of each series of shafts, supporting-rollers carried by opposite ends of the shafts, driving means for one of the shafts, means to impart motion from the drive-shaft to one of the shafts of the opposite series, and a concentric series of cylindrical sieves externally supported upon the rollers of the corresponding shafts.

4. In a separating-maehine, the combination with opposite sets of standards, of upwardlyinclined series of shafts carried by the standards and projected beyond the latter at the same end of each series, supporting-rollers carried by the shafts at the inner sides of the standards, meshed gears carried by the projected ends of the shafts at the outer sides of adjacent standards, one of the shafts being provided with a drive-pulley, a drive connection between corresponding shafts of the series of shafts, and a concentric series of cylindrical sieves located between the standards and supported externally upon the rollers.

5. In a separating-machinc, the combination with a supporting-flan1e, of a rotatable cylindrical sieve mounted thereon, a bar supported upon the frame longitudinally at the outer side of the sieve, arms pivotally rising from the bar, a clearance-roller carried by the arms and frictionally engaging the exterior of the sieve, and a collecting-apron hung from the bar and underlying the sieve.

6. In a separating-machine, the combination with a frame, of a rotatable cylindrical sieve mounted thereon, a bar supported upon the frame longitudinally at the exterior of the sieve, a elearance-roller supported by the bar and engaging the exterior of the sieve, a bar carried by the frame longitudinally of the sieve below and at the opposite side thereof, and an apron hung from the roller-supporting bar with its lower end connected to the other bar.

'7. In a separating-machine,the combination with a supporting-frame, of a rotatable cylindrical sieve mounted thereon, abar supported upon the frame longitudinally at the outer side of the sieve and above the bottom thereof, and a collecting-apron hung from the bar and inclined downwardly transversely beneath the sieve to the opposite side thereof.

8. In a separating-machine,the combination with a supporting-frame, of a concentric series of cylindrical rotatable sieves mounted thereon, spouts leading from the discharge ends of the sieves, a bar supported upon the frame longitudinally of the outer side of the series of sieves above the bottom of the outermost sieve, and a collecting-amen hung from the bar and inclined downwardly and transversely beneath the outermost sieve to the opposite side thereof.

9. In a separating-machine,the combination with a supporting-frame,of a concentric series of rotatable sieves mounted thereon and graded from coarse to line mesh from the innermost sieve to the outermost sieve, the innermost sieve being projected in advance of the series of sieves to form an inlet which is provided with a mesh liner than that of the outermost sieve, spouts leading from the discharge ends of the respective sieves, a bar supported by the frame longitudinally of the series of sieves and a collecting-apron hung from the frame at oneside of the outermost sieve and inclined downwardly and transversely beneath said sieve to the opposite side thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

EDGAR Gr. ALBAUGH.

Witnesses:

ROBERT E. DELAPLAINE, (J. ALBERT GILBOY. 

